Yesterday I was working on a future post that involves the Hobson Electric Co. The one above popped up in one of my favorite collections of historical Dallas photos, the George W. I was looking for a post West End photo β this photo is identified as just that [the title has now been updated by the SMU Libraries], but the presence of the Schoellkopf Saddlery Co.
Lamar and Jackson. I checked a city directory to find out the address of the Hobson Electric Co. Market and S. The view here is to the southeast, probably taken from the courthouse. I was really intrigued by the block of houses facing Jackson between Market and Austin β the block the horse-and-buggy is moving past, at the center right. The trees. The low buildings. That block really stood out. It was kind of quaint. Did people live there? While I had the directory open, I checked to see who the occupants were.
I just picked because the Hobson Co. Here were the occupants of those houses in That seemed odd. Three single women occupying three separate houses, all next door to one other. I checked all the directories between and to see who was living in that block. I got the picture. You might have noticed that all of those F. Not one of them is north of Jackson. Its boundaries were, basically, S. Lamar -ish on the east, and beyond Young Street on the south.
If you wanted to avail yourself of illicit things and engage in naughty behavior, this was the place for you: Ground Zero for a sort of wide-open, lawless Wild West. In fact , this vice-filled area had been created by a helpful city ordinance in the s. So, enjoy! Prostitutes were allowed to ply their trade in this specified chunk of blocks because the city fathers felt that it would be best to keep all that sort of thing in one somewhat controllable area, away from the more reputable neighborhoods.
Do not step north of Jackson, Zelma! So, at one time, Dallas had legal brothels. Something for everyone. Eventually, people started to get really bent out of shape about this, and there was a big push to get these houses shut down β or at least moved out of the area.
